There is hereby created the Office of Township Fire Chief. The
Board of Commissioners of the Township of Upper Chichester shall by
resolution appoint a suitable, adult person, who shall be a resident
of the Township of Upper Chichester, who shall hold office for a term
of one year, or at the pleasure of said Board. Said person may be
appointed to succeed himself. Said officer shall receive such salary
as shall be fixed by resolution of the Board of Commissioners at the
time of his appointment or reappointment.

The Township Commissioners shall from time to time, by resolution,
appoint a Deputy Township Fire Chief or Deputy Township Fire Chiefs,
in such number as from time to time shall be required. Said Deputy
Township Fire Chiefs shall hold office each for a term of one year,
or at the pleasure of the Board, and shall be eligible to succeed
themselves. The same qualifications shall be required for persons
appointed as Deputy Township Fire Chiefs as are hereby required for
the Office of Township Fire Chief. If more than one Deputy Township
Fire Chief shall be appointed, they shall have seniority of power
to enforce the regulations hereinafter created, or such other regulations
as may be hereafter adopted, according to the seniority of their appointment;
and if two or more persons shall be appointed at the same time, the
Commissioners shall designate which one shall rank as senior. The
Deputy Township Fire Chief or Deputy Township Fire Chiefs shall receive
such salary as shall be fixed by resolution of the Board of Commissioners
at the time of his or their appointment or reappointment.

The Township Fire Chief shall have full and complete power to direct
the management of all efforts of any fire company or fire companies
to extinguish or control any fire occurring within the Township; and
all persons present attempting to extinguish and control any fire
shall obey his lawful orders and directions. In the absence of the
Township Fire Chief and Deputy Township Fire Chief present shall have
the same powers as might be exercised by the Township Fire Chief,
if present. If the Township Fire Chief and a Deputy Fire Chief be
present, the Deputy Township Fire Chief subordinate in rank shall
have such powers as shall be delegated to him by either the Township
Fire Chief or the ranking Deputy Township Fire Chief.

Any person or persons present at any fire within the Township
of Upper Chichester who shall disobey the lawful orders of the Township
Fire Chief or any Deputy Township Fire Chief, or who shall not promptly
obey said lawful orders, shall be guilty of a violation of this article
and shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of
not more than $1,000; and/or to imprisonment for a term not to exceed
90 days.

Purpose. The purpose of this standard is to specify the minimum requirements
for an occupational safety and health program for the Fire Department,
and safety procedures for those individuals involved in fire suppression,
rescue, and related activities.

This article is the official written Fire Departmental occupational
safety and health policy that identifies specific goals and objectives
for the prevention of accidents, injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.

It shall be the responsibility of the Fire Department to provide
a safe, healthy work environment for its members. The Fire Department
shall research, develop, implement and enforce a safety and health
program that recognizes and reduces the inherent risks involved in
the operations of a fire department.

It shall be the right of each member to be protected by an effective
safety and health program and to participate or be represented in
the research, development, implementation, and enforcement of the
program.

The Fire Company Chief shall appoint on a yearly basis one Fire Safety
Officer and one Deputy Safety Officer. The requirements for this position
shall be established by Township resolution adopted from time to time.

Safety and Health Committee. A Safety and Health Committee shall
be established and serve in an advisory capacity to the Township Fire
Marshal. The Committee shall include one Commissioner, the Township
Fire Marshal, two Safety Officers from each company. The Township
Fire Marshal shall have the final authority on all matters in the
event of a tie.

The Fire Department shall establish a data collection system and
maintain permanent records of all injuries or deaths that are or might
be Fire Company related. All reports of such injuries or deaths will
be submitted to the Township Fire Marshal's office.

The Fire Department shall provide training and education for all
members to ensure that they are able to perform their assigned duties
in a safe manner that does not present a hazard to themselves or to
other members.

Training shall be provided for all members as often as necessary
to meet the requirements. There will be two drills a year for the
Department. Also, there will be the required 24 hours' training for
the year.

Special hazards. Specialized training and education shall be provided
to members that describe the actions to be taken in situations involving
special hazards and shall include these in the training and education
program.

General. The Fire Department shall consider health and safety as
primary concerns in the specification, design, construction, acquisition,
operation, maintenance, inspection, and repair of all vehicles and
equipment.

Drivers of Fire Department vehicles shall have valid driver's
licenses and authorization card signed by the Chief of the Company
listing each vehicle that the driver is qualified to drive/operate.
This card is to be carried at all times.

Drivers of Fire Department vehicles shall be directly responsible
for safe and prudent operation under all conditions. When the driver
is under the direct supervision of an officer, that officer shall
also assume responsibility for the actions of the driver.

Drivers shall not move Fire Department vehicles until all persons
on the vehicles are properly secured. Until such time that new equipment
is purchased, all personnel riding rear step will be in full protective
turn out clothing and safety belts secured.

All persons riding on Fire Department vehicles shall be seated and secured to the vehicle by seat belts or safety harnesses at any time the vehicle is in motion. Riding on the tailsteps or in any other exposed position shall be prohibited. [See Subsection B(4) of this section.]

All new Fire Department vehicles shall be specified and ordered with
sufficient number of seats in an enclosed area as specified by NFPA
190221, Standard for Automotive Fire Apparatus, for the maximum number
of persons who may ride on the vehicle at any time. This will be effective
in the year 1991 and not affect existing Fire Department vehicles.

All Fire Department vehicles shall be inspected at least weekly and within 24 hours after any use or repair to identify and correct unsafe conditions. A preventive maintenance program shall be established and records shall be maintained as specified in § 34-6E(3) of this standard. Maintenance, inspections, and repairs shall be performed in accordance with manufacturers' instructions.

All equipment carried on Fire Department vehicles designated for
training shall be visually inspected at least weekly and within 24
hours after any use. Inventory records shall be maintained for the
equipment carried on each vehicle. Records shall be maintained for
equipment designated for training.

The Fire Department shall provide each member with the appropriate
protective clothing and protective equipment to provide protection
from the hazards of the work environment to which the member is or
may be exposed. Such protective clothing and protective equipment
shall be suitable for the tasks that the members are expected to perform
in that environment.

Protective clothing and protective equipment shall be used and maintained
in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions. A maintenance
and inspection program shall be established for protective clothing
and protective equipment. Specific responsibilities shall be assigned
to the safety officer, for the inspection, and maintenance.

All members who may be engaged in or exposed to the hazards of structural
firefighting shall be provided with both protective coats and protective
trousers that meet the requirements of NFPA 1971, Standard on Protective
Clothing for Structural Fire Fighting. An overlap of not less than
eight inches (203 mm) of protective coat and protective trousers shall
be required.

All members who may be engaged in or exposed to the hazards of structural
firefighting shall be provided with helmets that meet the requirements
of NFPA 1972, Standard on Helmets for Structural Fire Fighting.

All members who may be engaged in or exposed to the hazards of structural
firefighting shall be provided with gloves that meet the requirements
of NFPA 1978, Standard on Gloves for Structural Fire Fighting.

Fire Departments that provided protective coats with protective resilient
wristlets secured through a thumb opening may provide gloves of the
gauntlet type for use with these protective coats. Fire Departments
that do not provide such wristlets attached to all protective coats
shall provide gloves of the wristlet type for use with these protective
coats.

All members who may be engaged in or exposed to the hazards of structural
firefighting shall be provided with footwear that meet the requirements
of NFPA 1974, Standard on Protective Footwear for Structural Fire
Fighting.

All members who may be engaged in or exposed to the hazards of structural
firefighting shall be provided with approved protective hoods or combination
of ear flaps and collar that provide protection for the ears and neck
and interface with the SCBA facepiece, protective coat and helmet.

The Fire Department shall require all members to wear all the protective clothing specified in Subsection B(1) through (6) of this section at all times when involved in or exposed to the hazards of structural firefighting.

In addition to the above, all personnel working below ground
level or inside any confined space shall be provided with SCBA and
shall use SCBA unless safety of the atmosphere can be established
by testing and continuous monitoring.

Sources of a compressed gaseous breathing air, such as compressors,
cascade systems, storage receivers, etc., used for filling SCBA cylinders
shall be tested at least every three months to assure their compliance.

Member using SCBA shall operate in teams of two or more who are in
communication with each other through visual, audible, physical, safety
guide rope, electronic or other means to coordinate their activities,
and are in close proximity to each other to provide assistance in
case of an emergency.

When members are involved in operations that require the use of SCBA
or other respiratory protection protective equipment, at least one
member shall be assigned to remain outside the area where respiratory
protection is required. This member shall be responsible for maintaining
a constant awareness of the number and identity of personnel using
SCBA, their location and function, and time of entry. Members with
SCBA shall be available for rescue.

The facepiece seal capability of each member qualified to use SCBA
shall be verified by qualitative fit testing on an annual basis and
any time that new types of SCBA are issued. Each new member shall
be tested before being permitted to use SCBA in a hazardous atmosphere.
Only members with a properly fitting facepiece shall be permitted
by the Fire Department to function in a hazardous atmosphere with
self-contained breathing apparatus.

Beards or facial hair that interfere with the facepiece seal shall
be prohibited for members required to use SCBA. If eyeglasses are
worn, the member shall use frames that do not pass through the seal
area of the facepiece.

Each member involved in rescue, firefighting, or other hazardous
duties shall be provided with and shall use a PASS device. Each PASS
device shall be tested at least weekly and prior to each use, and
shall be maintained in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions.

Rope used to support the weight of members or other persons during
rescue, firefighting, other emergency operations, or during training
evolutions shall be life safety rope. Life safety rope used for any
other purpose shall be removed from service and destroyed.

Life safety rope used for training evolutions shall be designated
as training rope and may be reused if inspected before and after each
use in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions. Training ropes
shall be destroyed if subject to impact loading, or if signs of weakness
or wear are detected. Records shall be maintained to record the use
of each life safety rope used for training.

Eye and face protection. Face and eye protection shall be provided
for and used by members engaged in fire suppression and other operations
involving hazards to the eyes and face at all times when the face
is not protected by the full facepiece of self-contained breathing
apparatus.

Hearing protection shall be provided for and used by all members
when exposed to noise in excess of 90 DBA from power tools or equipment,
exception situation where the use of such protective equipment would
create an additional hazard to the user.

The Fire Department shall engage in a hearing conservation program
to identify and reduce or eliminate potentially harmful sources of
noise in the work environment. Where audiometric testing indicates
a significant hearing loss for a member, the Fire Department shall
address these conditions on an individual basis, as well as take steps
to control potentially harmful noise exposure to any or all other
members.

An incident command system shall be established with written procedures
applying to all members involved in emergency operations. All members
involved in emergency operations shall be familiar with the system.

The incident command system shall identify roles and responsibilities
relating to the safety of operations. Safety responsibilities shall
be assigned to supervisory personnel at each level of the organization.

The officer in command of an emergency incident shall establish an
organization with sufficient supervisory personnel to control the
position and function of all members operating at the scene and to
ensure that safety requirements are satisfied.

At incidents or situations where special hazards exist, the office
in command shall assign qualified personnel with specific responsibility
to identify and evaluate hazards and to provide direction with respect
to the safety of operations.

When inexperienced members are working at an incident, direct supervision shall be provided by more experienced officers or members. This requirement shall not reduce the training requirements contained in § 34-7 of this standard.

When members are operating at an emergency incident and their assignment places them in potential conflict with motor vehicle traffic, they shall wear helmets as specified in § 34-9B(2) of this standard, and a garment with fluorescent retroreflective material.

When members are operating in hazardous areas, they shall work in
teams of two or more. There shall be at one member specifically assigned
to remain outside the hazardous area and maintain an awareness of
the operations inside the hazardous area.

Whenever members are operating in positions or performing functions
that include special hazards or that would subject them to immediate
danger of injury in the event of equipment failure or other sudden
event, backup personnel shall be standing by with equipment to provide
assistance or rescue.

Whenever members are operating in positions or performing functions
that involve an immediate risk of injury, qualified basic life support
personnel shall be standing by with medical equipment and transportation
capability.

Prior to becoming members, effective January 1989, individuals shall
be examined and certified by a physician as being medically and physically
fit. Members who will be certified for fire/ambulance activities shall
meet the requirements set by each company.

All members engaged in emergency operations shall be reexamined by
the physician on at least an annual basis and before being reassigned
to emergency duties after a debilitating illness or injuries. Members
who have not satisfied these requirements of the examination shall
not be permitted to engage in emergency operations.

The Fire Department shall establish and maintain a permanent health
file on each individual member that records the results of regular
and medical and fitness tests; any illnesses or injuries; and any
events that expose the individual to known or suspected hazardous
materials, toxic products, or contagious diseases.

Health information shall be maintained as a confidential record for
each individual member as well as a composite data base for the analysis
of factors pertaining to the overall health and fitness of the member
group.

Contagious diseases. The Fire Department shall actively attempt to
identify and limit the exposure of members to contagious diseases
in the performance of their assigned duties. When appropriate, inoculations,
vaccinations and other treatment shall be made available.

The Fire Department shall have an officially designated physician
who shall be responsible for guiding, directing and advising the members
with regard to their health, fitness, and suitability for various
duties.

The Fire Department physician shall be readily available for consultation
and to provide professional services on an urgent basis. This may
be accomplished by providing access to a number of qualified physicians.

The qualification of all line officers (Chief, Deputy Chief,
Assistant Chiefs, Captains, and Lieutenants) and any other such officer
shall be established by Township resolution adopted from time to time.